Amsterdam, Netherlands, Monday, April 29, 2013

Thank you, everyone, for being here today.

As governor general and commander-in-chief of Canada, I am pleased to have this opportunity to honour Canadians who helped liberate the Netherlands in the Second World War.

I am also pleased to be able to say thank you to the people of the Netherlands, who have been so steadfast in remembrance.

The liberation forged a friendship between our two countries that endures to this day. We were united at the end of a long and devastating war, at the tail end of a winter of particular hardship here in the Netherlands.

We have many ties dating back to those difficult days—some of them extending to our shores in Canada.

You may know that your Princess Margriet was born in an Ottawa hospital in January 1943, where then-Crown Princess Juliana was living out the war in exile with her daughters.

In fact, upon their arrival in Ottawa, the young royal family stayed for a time at Rideau Hall, where I now work and live with my wife, Sharon. 

So it is fitting that, even as we commemorate the role of Canadians in liberating the Netherlands, we prepare to welcome your new king, His Royal Highness Willem-Alexander, while expressing our gratitude, after many wonderful years of service, to Her Majesty Queen Beatrix.

The Dutch royal family has never forgotten Canada’s support during the war—as can be seen in the thousands of tulips that bloom each spring in Ottawa as a perennial gift of thanks.

And neither have the people of the Netherlands forgotten the role of Canadians in ending the occupation.

As you know, the fighting was fierce, with many killed and wounded. The battle-hardened members of the Cape Breton Highlanders, for example, said this was their toughest fight.

I am particularly moved to learn of the active community of volunteers that is keeping alive the memory of those who served. Not least, I am inspired by the work you have done in building a new visitor centre at the Canadian War Cemetery in Holten.

I would also like to acknowledge volunteers and supporters in the communities of Groesbeek and Bergen op Zoom, which also host large war memorials for Canadian soldiers. 

To those volunteers who are here with us today: thank you for honouring their sacrifices.

It means a great deal to our veterans, and to Canada.

The people of this country know what a precious thing is our freedom.

Let us honour it always by remembering and thanking our veterans, and by working together for a just and peaceful world.

Thank you.